Women's Cross Country Finishes Second At SoCon Championship

Saturday, October 31

Mill Spring, N.C.

10 a.m.

Mercer University

Southern Conference Championship

Results

Abbie Kallbreier Running, SoCon Championship Recap

11/1/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

By: Ben Kinealy, Kinealy_ben@mercer.edu

MILL SPRING, N.C. – Mercer Women's Cross Country repeated their success from last year, finishing in second place at the SoCon Championship while the men's team finished in eighth.

Mary Grace Parker continued to make history, running the second-fastest 5K in program history at 17:07.0 to place fifth. She now only trails Kamila Soja in the program, who ran a 16:57.3 5K. Parker's performance earned her First Team All-Conference for the second consecutive year while fellow teammate Nikki Harris ran a 17:37.3 5K to finish 11th, earning Second Team All-Conference honors.

Ania San Roman Lopez ran a 17:47.7 5K to place 16th overall and third on the Bears while Paula Sandoval rounded out the top 20, running a 17:55.3. Freshman Alayna Carter rounded out Mercer's top five, finishing in 29th place with an 18:25.2 5K. Kamryn Wingfield set a personal best 5K at 18:43.2 to place 35th overall.

Head Coach Cameron Ruppe earned the SoCon Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year after the women's team climbed their way into the top 10 in the USTFCCCA South Region ranking for the first time in program history.

On the men's side, Jake Peters led the way, running a 25:56.9 8K to finish in 31st overall and first on the Bears. Hagan Russell and William Poelker finished side by side finishing in 46th and 47th, respectively. Colby Bornstein came in fourth on the Bears with a 26:40.3 8K to finish 52nd overall while freshman Andrew Jacknewitz rounded our Mercer's top five, finishing with a 26:52.7 8K to place 58th.

The Bears will close out their season on Nov. 13 at the NCAA South Regional at the Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla.

Southern Conference Championship (Oct. 31)
WOMEN'S 5K		MEN'S 8K
*Winner: Tessa Walter (16:24.8, Furman)*		Winner: Christopher Knight *(23:57.0, Furman)*
5	! Mary Grace Parker, 17:07.0	31	Jake Peters, 25:56.9
11	Nikki Harris, 17:37.3	46	Hagan Russell, 26:28.8
16	Ania San Roman Lopez, 17:47.7	47	William Poelker, 26:32.4
20	Paula Sandoval, 17:55.3	52	Colby Bornstein, 26:40.3
29	Alayna Carter, 18:25.2	58	Andrew Jacknewitz, 26:52.7
32	Courtney Calhoun, 18:32.3	59	Christopher Cerwinka, 26:58.8
35	! Kamryn Wingfield, 18:43.2	61	Ryan Judy, 27:08.0
41	Abbie Kallbreier, 18:49.5	76	Maxwell Wakeland, 28:09.2
111	Mackenzie Crowe, 19:51.6	84	Chris Connolly, 28:56.6
! = Personal Best